Keio Research Institute at SFC

Background

As the trend of population decline continues and infrastructure, buildings, and structures constructed during the high-growth era deteriorate, there is a growing demand for maintenance and inspections that do not rely on human labor. To prevent excessive damage caused by accidents and malfunctions, information and communication technologies (ICT) are being utilized. The field and applications that connect artificial structures with information systems are often described as Internet of Things (IoT).

For the widespread adoption and practical implementation of IoT, the technology enabling bidirectional data exchange between natural/artificial structures and information systems is critical. Wireless communication is particularly effective for IoT as it facilitates bidirectional digital information exchange. However, traditional wireless communication requires sensors or actuators attached to structures to emit their own signals, which necessitates a power source by batteries or power cable. Recently, issues such as improper battery disposal leading to accidents and environmental pollution, the infeasibility of using batteries in space or other challenging environments, and the difficulties in recycling rare metals used in batteries have highlighted the limitations of battery-dependent IoT. This has increased interest in battery-free wireless sensors.

Moreover, as seen in Industry 4.0, there are high expectations for advanced automation of factories and extreme efficiency in equipment maintenance achieved through AI and IoT.

Backscatter communication is a wireless communication method that utilizes the reflection of radio waves. It enables bidirectional communication with approximately 1/1000th the power consumption of BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), operating at about 10µW. This power level can be supplied through wireless power transmission within the current wireless regulatory framework, making battery-free wireless sensors feasible.

The SFC Research Institute identified this field early on and established the Backscatter Communication Research Consortium in 2019. The consortium has extended its activities twice, now scheduled to run until March 2025. It promotes the development of battery-free wireless sensing systems through industry-academia collaboration and has been driving standardization efforts within ISO.

During this time, the practical implementation of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) led by ISO/GS1 has rapidly expanded. Simultaneously, organizations such as ITU, 3GPP, and IEEE are exploring ambient IoT, combining technologies like wireless power transfer, energy harvesting, energy storage circuits, and backscatter communication to create an infrastructure for battery-free wireless sensing.

Given this background, discussions with companies interested in ambient IoT have led to the establishment of a new R&D consortium focused on ambient IoT as its primary research target.

Objectives

The objectives to establish Ambient IoT Communication Research Consortium are as follows:

・R&D of core technologies for ambient IoT communication devices and systems, including terminals, interrogators, and power supply units, enabling communication distances of about 30 meters with MHz bandwidth.

・Technical validation experiments combining the core technologies of ambient IoT communication, along with planning, preparation, and execution of demonstration experiments aimed at practical implementation.

・Preparation for joint proposals for competitive research funding related to ambient IoT communication.

・Standardization activities and information exchange related to the latest trends in R&D for ambient IoT communication.

Researchers, managers and professors